


How To Lie

by camichats



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Voldemort, Background Relationships, Bisexual James Potter, Cheating, Gay Sirius Black, Getting Together, Gryffindor Regulus Black, Lies, M/M, Making Out, Pining, Pureblood Society (Harry Potter), Secret Relationship, Sirius Black In A Skirt, Skirts, Slytherin Sirius Black, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:43:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27581545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/camichats/pseuds/camichats
Summary: Regulus runs away to the Potter's. Sirius goes to visit and gets more than he bargained for in one James Potter, but he doesn't let that change his life plans.
Relationships: Regulus Black & James Potter, Regulus Black & Sirius Black, Sirius Black/James Potter
Comments: 15
Kudos: 115





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The cheating refers to Sirius being in a relationship with an OC pureblood woman and then kissing James.

Sirius couldn't stand for this. He really, really could not. Regulus had _left_. He'd left. He'd told their parents where they could shove their blood purist ideals, and then he'd left. He'd packed up some of his stuff and left for James Potter's house. Not that he'd said that-- and Sirius didn't find out until later, when he managed to track him down. He'd hesitated for a bare moment when he looked at Sirius, but then his face had closed off and he'd hurried out the door. 

Orion looked furious, eyes boring into the wood of the closed front door. Walburga looked like she was ready to kill someone. They were both angry, but neither of them looked like they were going to follow him. 

"Aren't you going to go after him?" Sirius asked. 

"No!" Walburga screeched, mortally offended that Sirius had dared to ask. "He's a blood traitor. Filth! We don't need _his_ kind tarnishing the family name." 

"He's your son," Sirius said numbly. 

" _Was_ our son," Orion corrected. His tone contained icy fury and little else. There wasn't a drop of affection, hurt, or remorse. "We have you; we don't need him. He'd been rotten from the start." 

Rotten. Rotten, Orion said, like he was a piece of fruit and not a human being, not his son. Sirius had always known that his parents' love and approval was conditional. It was something he'd known for sure as he was preparing to go to Hogwarts and all hopes of running off to Gryffindor instead of Slytherin were dashed. He'd met James Potter on the train, and for a very long, tempting train ride, he'd been ready to say 'bugger it' to his parents. As he got off the train though, he remembered Regulus. Regulus needed him. If Sirius acted out now, Regulus would become the subject to every single lecture and expectation that their parents had. Regulus had been young and fairly innocent, and Sirius had decided to stick to the plan and be the heir his parents wanted; he couldn't protect Regulus if he was disgraced. 

He'd known that if he or Regulus acted out, they would get kicked out. He just hadn't been prepared for how quickly they'd dropped him. They only needed one of them, but for how easily it had happened, Sirius knew that they'd been waiting for this. Regulus threatened to leave, and they practically shoved him from the house. They'd been waiting for an excuse to get rid of him. That was the thing about pureblood families like theirs. Blotting out unwanted members of the family tree required a reason. Andromeda married a muggle. Regulus chose muggle-lovers over his family. It was that simple for them. They disowned anyone that disagreed with the main lines so that they could say the whole family believed something. 

"We don't need him," Orion had said, but that was a lie. Sirius needed him. He'd thought that Regulus needed him too. He'd done all of this for him. There was no buggering point in anything Sirius had done for the last six years if Regulus was just going to walk out and never talk to him. He'd done all of this because he didn't think that Regulus would go with him if he left. He was pretending to be the perfect pureblood son and heir because he needed their parents to trust him until he took over and they couldn't tell him no. He'd given up... everything. _Everything_. He gave up Gryffindor; he gave up friendships with people he actually liked; he gave up a spot on the Quidditch team because while some pureblood parents thought of Quidditch as a good way to network, Orion and Walburga thought it would distract him from everything that was truly important. He'd crafted an entire life for the day, years in the future, when he would be in a position of power and able to let Regulus do whatever the hell he wanted. 

And now, none of it mattered. Sirius was okay with some of his cousins, but he wouldn't put in a full day to help some of them out, let alone the six-ish years he'd invested in this plan. He'd been willing to do several more. Once the Head of House title had been passed along, it couldn't be taken back. Orion was interested in an early retirement. Sirius would've been running the family by the time he was thirty. 

Regulus hadn't seen the big picture. He hadn't known about it. He didn't _believe_ in suffering for a little while so the end result would be better. He didn't see the point in it. It was short sighted. Sirius had never been so angry with Regulus as he was right now. Did Sirius have _any_ bloody interest in birds? No! But he'd gone on dates with Isolt sodding Sayre and kissed her and buggering told her that he was interested in keeping her around in his life because _he'd been thinking ahead_. Marry the right girl, have a few children, and Orion would turn the family over. Sirius would steer them the right direction, and Regulus was supposed to be there for it! He couldn't be there for it if he ran out and never came back. 

Sirius wanted to run out the door and explain to Regulus very clearly that this wasn't in the plan and he needed to get back in there. Unfortunately, Sirius knew that his parents wouldn't let him leave right now-- and certainly not to follow after Regulus. They never bothered to monitor his post like they'd done with Regulus, so he'd wait until morning and then write to him. 

Their parents had been waiting for an excuse to kick him out, but Sirius also knew that if he apologised, they'd let him back in. They'd been happy to be rid of him because they didn't think he'd change. He probably wouldn't, but he could tone it down for a couple more years until he graduated and then wouldn't have to worry about it. Regulus could get his own place outside of Grimmauld Place, and he'd be free to pretty much do whatever he wanted since it's not like Orion and Walburga would check in on him. It was the same thing Uncle Alphard had done when he was a teenager, and even though Regulus didn't seem to see it, he was a lot like Uncle Alphard-- a younger, more brash version of him, but similar all the same. 

"Can I go to my room?" Sirius asked past numb lips. 

"Yes," Orion said. 

He turned and walked up the stairs. His parents didn't quite wait long enough to start screaming at each other. Sirius didn't listen for long, but it sounded like they were blaming each other for Regulus 'not turning out right'. Regulus was better than all of them. He didn't see how that was so hard to understand. 

**_Regulus,_ **

**_I know that Mum and Dad are total arseholes and you hate this house, but do you think you can come back? It would only be a couple more summers before you leave, and they're not so bad if you spend all your time in your room. I know they're horrible, but really, they're easy to ignore. After you graduate, you can move out, and you won't have to see them again when I'm Head of the Family. Please come back? I miss you._ **

**_Love, Sirius_ **

* * *

"You got a letter, mate," James said quietly from the doorway. It was the morning after Regulus had shown up in the middle of the night, a bag over his shoulder and his face stained with tears. Regulus had stayed in James's room with him last night, not wanting to be alone. He was still there, having claimed that he wasn't hungry when breakfast time came. His back was to James right now, but he didn't need to see his face to know that he was listening. 

"Who's it from?" 

"Your brother." 

"Ex-brother," Regulus corrected, silently moving an arm to wipe at his face. "Can you- can you read it? I don't want to see it if he's telling me off." 

"Okay." James unfolded the parchment. The first thing his eyes caught on was the bottom of the letter were it said ' ** _Love Sirius_** '. He went back to the top and read the whole thing. "He's asking for you to come back." 

Regulus's shoulders hunched closer in on himself. "Burn it." 

James pulled out his wand and tapped the parchment. It went up in a burst, and he vanished the ashes as they fell to the carpet. "You hungry yet?" 

"No." 

"Okay. Gotta warn you though, you're going to have to eat dinner today, no matter where your appetite is." 

"I will," Regulus said quietly. 

James hesitated for a moment, then came in the room and crawled on the bed with him, hugging him from behind. Regulus was a silent crier. Even holding him like this, it was almost impossible to tell. But there was the barest hitch in his breath, and James wished he could hug all his pain away. Regulus had hated his parents, and they hated him. He loved his brother, and his brother loved him. In the end, it hadn't been enough to save him from that bloody house. 

* * *

Regulus had been gone for one full day. He hadn't replied to Sirius's letter, but it had been a long shot to begin with. Sirius suspected that he'd destroyed it without even opening it up, and that was worse. He wanted for Regulus to know that he cared, even if it didn't get him back home. 

Sirius had done a bit of damage control with their parents, convincing them that they didn't need to _officially_ disown Regulus unless he did something public like Andromeda had done. He sent a quick letter to Isolt as per their usual summer exchange, and he didn't mention anything about Regulus. If she tried to get upset over it, he'd claim that he didn't want to ruin a perfectly pleasant correspondence. 

Then he got to work finding Regulus. Regulus had friends. Most of them were from Quidditch, which meant that they weren't actually in his year. He had his study group, but he wasn't particularly close with any of them. The friends that Regulus had that he would trust with something like this could be counted on one hand. One of them was a werewolf, and his parents weren't in a position to be taking anyone in. Another had a sickly mother, who also wouldn't be in the mood for absorbing another person into the family. Both of them would've said yes had Regulus asked, but he wouldn't want to burden them. That left Regulus with one good option: James Potter. Sirius did a quick blood spell to double check. It wasn't exact, but it was close enough; he was at the Potter's. 

Sirius had never been there, but he knew where it was. Pureblood families tended to have that sort of knowledge easy to access, not only because their mansions were passed down by their ancestors, but because pureblood families hosted. Parties and celebrations, Sirius wasn't really sure of the details, but they were public enough that he knew the Potter's address even though he'd never been invited over. Before he left, he snuck into Regulus's room. He cast an expansion charm on a rucksuck that had been left behind, then started piling things in. Regulus had used a Permanent Sticking Charm on most of the wall hangings, but Sirius packed up everything else. He was going to go over and ask for Regulus to come back, but he didn't believe for a second that it would work. He wanted to be prepared for that, and if he left Regulus's things laying around for too long, Walburga might decide to burn it all. Hell, _Regulus_ might decide to burn it all, but that was his choice. 

He knew better than to show up at the Potter House in full Black regalia, but they were the only wizarding clothes he had except for his uniform. There had never been a situation where he wasn't okay with wearing something in their family colours. Still, he got dressed liked he normally would have, put the rucksack over his shoulder, and told his parents that he was leaving. He didn't bother giving an excuse since all the pureblood friends he had would make it all too easy to prove he'd been lying-- all of their parents talked to each other. They didn't question Sirius when he bid them goodbye though, and he went straight to Gringotts. He knew from surreptitious research where muggle clothes stores were; he just needed some quid for it, not galleons. 

The great thing about Goblins was that they didn't ask questions, and they don't gossip. It meant that Sirius was able to exchange his money and not worry about it. It was his first time actually setting foot in a muggle clothes store, and he found he was a little disappointed; it looked pretty much the same as wizarding clothes stores did. He flipped through some of the men's clothes, only finding a leather jacket to his liking. He glanced at the women's section and figured that they wouldn't turn down his money. The selection here was _much_ more to his liking. A black skirt around knee-length went right next to the jacket on his arm, and he spent some time perusing shirts. He couldn't risk getting an entire wardrobe-- where would he wear it, anyways?-- so he ended up with a white button-up with multi-coloured flowers spotting across the surface with no rhyme or reason. 

He went to the Leaky to floo closer to the Potter house, then ducked inside a public loo and changed. As he walked to the Potter's, someone mistook him for a bird, but he shot them a v when they hooted at him and didn't worry about it; they were being an arsehole, so it's not like he owed them an explanation. Sirius had to readjust the strap hanging off his shoulder every now and then, but it was nice to walk on the pavement and not have to worry about someone that would tell his parents seeing him. Sure he was about to go up to James Potter in full muggle attire, but it's not like James gave a shit enough about him to mention it to anyone-- especially anyone that would then talk to Orion or Walburga. 

Sirius knocked on the door, smiling at Mrs. Potter when she opened it. "Hello, Mrs. Potter. Is my brother here?" 

She smiled back at him, but it wasn't the same smile she gave Regulus. Reasonably so, since Regulus was best mates with her son, and Sirius was a part of the family that had just thrown him out-- slash let him leave without trying to stop him. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," she lied. 

Sirius's smile widened so that he didn't glare. "Allow me to rephrase. Mrs. Potter, I know that Regulus is here, and I would like to talk to him. You can chaperone the entire time if it will make you feel better, and I trust that you'll throw me out if I say something horrid to him." 

Mrs. Potter looked at him, assessing, for a long moment. Then she opened the door wider and motioned for him to come in. 

Sirius stepped in and waited for her to close the door and direct him for where to go. He knew better than to wander around someone else's home, although he was rather curious for how they'd decorated. This place was a damn sight better than Grimmauld Place already, and they were only in the entryway. The chances of Regulus choosing to come back dropped from 'extremely unlikely' to 'never going to happen in this century'. Still, Sirius had to try. He didn't want for Regulus to think that he was happy he was gone or summat. Besides, if Regulus didn't come home, it would be a lot more difficult for Sirius to talk to him at school. There were eyes everywhere, and the more the students gossiped, the more all of their parents would hear. He'd probably still risk it, but it would be a pain in the arse. 

The room Mrs. Potter led him to had Regulus and James Potter. Sirius had expected that. What he _hadn't_ expected was all the other people there. Lupin, Pettigrew, Kingsley, Evans, Meadowes, and McKinnon. The whole gang. It was pretty clear they were here to try and lift Regulus's spirits, which meant that he was now being glared at by no less than seven people. Mrs. Potter did leave after Sirius stopped walking, apparently of the mind that all of them would be able to look after Regulus without her there. 

Evans was the first one to talk. "You're wearing women's clothes, Black." 

"Funnily enough, Evans, I knew that." 

"You do?" Meadowes asked doubtfully. She had more reason than most everyone else here to hate him. The people that ran in the same circles as Sirius liked to target her for barely having any magical ability because one of her parents was a squib-- even though it clearly hadn't effected her at school. 

"Walking to the women's section of the store was a pretty big clue," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. Honestly, how dumb did they think he was? "Regulus, can I talk to you in private for a minute?" 

"No." 

"Can I talk to you _here_ for a minute?" 

Regulus glanced at James, and apparently came to the conclusion that since Sirius was outnumbered, he could hear him out. "If you're going to ask me to come back, you're wasting your time. They disowned me." 

"No, they _threatened_ to. Once they had some time to cool off, they realised it would be pretty stupid." Rather, Sirius had convinced Orion that it would be more trouble than it was worth since Regulus hadn't done anything 'worse' than usual. "You apologise for yelling at them, and Dad will let you back." 

"I don't _want_ to go back. I don't give a shite if they'll let me or not, because it's not going to happen. I've been here for a day, and I already like it more than my entire buggering life there." 

Sirius hummed, looking at the décor. Their furniture actually looked comfortable, for one, and everything was so bright. Grimmauld Place felt like a cave more often than a building. "The Potter's do have a rather nice sense of interior design. I just don't think you should throw away the opportunities you were born with to-" 

"Stop it," James snapped. 

Sirius sighed. "All I mean to say is that lying to our parents isn't hard. Tell them you're sorry even though you aren't, and when they ask, pretend like you don't bloody talk to any of your friends. It's that easy. They already know you have a personality of your own; they aren't going to micromanage trying to make you like them."

"Right, because they already have you," Regulus said, and Sirius cocked his head. 

He blinked. Blinked again. "Do-" He stopped and pursed his lips. "Sorry, time out for a second. Do you think that I tell our parents the truth about everything?" 

"I mean, there was that thing where you put worms in Bellatrix's hair and managed to get Narcissa in trouble for it." 

Yeah, that had been a pretty great day. In his defense, Bellatrix had totally started it, and Narcissa had helped her. Regulus had been like five at the time, and they'd put a snake around his neck-- it would've made anyone freak out, and Sirius thought that worms were kind of the best thing they could've expected. "Okay. Take that idea and move it into... everything else. For fuck's sake, Reg, do you think I actually like Isolt?" 

"...You don't?" he asked slowly. 

"Very, very much do not. I chose her because she mostly leaves me alone, and when we get married, it'll be the same way." 

"You're planning to marry her?" Regulus asked incredulously. 

"Sort of the point in dating her, Reg." 

"What about- I dunno, love?" James asked. "Don't you want to marry someone you actually like?" 

Sirius didn't remember inviting him into this part of the conversation, but they were all staring at him. He got the feeling that ignoring him wouldn't get the result he wanted. "Not part of the equation," he said dismissively. "Point is, it's _really_ easy to lie. Especially to Orion. You tell him what he wants to hear, and he ignores everything he doesn't like. Honestly, it's all about appearances with them. You don't _tell_ them that your best mate is James Potter, and they'll ignore all evidence to the contrary. Well," Sirius amended a second later, "Orion will. Walburga's just sort of a mess. But she can't do anything about you, so it doesn't matter." 

Regulus was gaping at him. He wasn't the only one. Sirius didn't even have to worry about it, because if any of them walked right up to Orion and played him the sodding memory, he still wouldn't believe it. 

"What do you say?" 

"I'm not going back." 

"You sure?" 

"Positive," Regulus said. He started to shut down. It was quite a thing to watch, the way that Regulus would start to pull away and pretend like he didn't have emotions. It would've been impressive if it weren't so bloody annoying. 

Sirius looked at him for another long moment, wondering if he should push it. In the end, he decided not to. It had been a long shot to begin with, and if he pushed, Regulus would only get mad at him. "Fine." He took the bag off his shoulder and set it down. "Here's the rest of your stuff. Keep it. Burn it. Whatever." 

"You brought it with you?" Regulus asked. He looked like a lost puppy. 

"Yeah." 

"Why?" 

Sirius shrugged, sticking his hands into the pockets of the leather jacket since he didn't have anything to hold now. "Just because I wanted you to come back didn't mean it was going to happen. See you around," he said, turning on his heel and walking back towards the door. He heard someone get up and follow him, but he knew that it wasn't Regulus so he didn't bother to turn around or wait for them. He only stopped when James got in his way. He raised an eyebrow expectantly when he didn't immediately start talking. "Yes?" 

James opened his mouth, paused, then said, "It was a pretty big risk to tell us about Isolt. Any of us could tell her." 

Sirius got the feeling that wasn't what he'd been planning on saying. "She wouldn't care," he lied. She was rather attached to Sirius, though only Merlin knew why. The truth was that she wouldn't believe any of them, and even if she did, she'd ask Sirius about; of course, he'd assure her that he loved her, and there would be no damage done. 

"How could she not care? You've been dating for over a year." 

"More like three years by now." He had the anniversary marked down somewhere because he knew that she cared. Then, he grinned at James, all teeth. "It's about the title, sweetheart. You really think she'd be half so interested in me if I weren't the heir to the Black Family?" 

"It sounds like a pretty lonely life." 

Sirius rolled his eyes and stepped around James, continuing for the front door. He froze when James got a hand around his arm. 

"You can visit. Regulus, I mean," he hurried to say. "You can visit Regulus while he's here as long as he says it's okay." 

Sirius looked at his hand pointedly until he let go. He glanced at James's face-- all open and earnest like he hadn't thought Sirius was the enemy five minutes ago. "Thanks. I might take you up on that." 

* * *

There was good news, and there was bad news. More than both of those though, there was confusing news. Sirius didn't know what to do, because one James Potter-- Regulus's best mate, Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, blood traitor extraordinaire-- had been flirting with him. 

Sirius had been able to get away pretty often during the summer to see Regulus, but it was even easier to find time at Hogwarts. It helped that him and James were in a lot of the same classes, and pretty much everyone in those classes had to have multiple study groups to pass. 

James fancied him. It was all the little details that made Sirius believe it was flirting and not being innocently friendly. Like that he bought Sirius a lollipop from Honeydukes during the Hogsmeade weekend without Sirius ever having told him that he doesn't like chocolates. Or that he'd let Sirius copy his potions homework, and he hadn't even made him beg. Plus he... smiled. All the time. At _Sirius_. At first, Sirius had written it off as James being a friendly person-- because he was, and he did smile all the time as it was-- and more specifically being nice to Sirius now that him and Regulus were on good terms, but it all seemed like more than that. Especially the longer it went. Once they were officially friends, there was no reason for him to keep doing it, but he did. After an entire term of it, Sirius was certain: James fancied him. 

He was a pretty great catch if he could so humbly say so, but he got the feeling that James liked him a whole lot less because of his sparkling personality, and a whole lot more because of the way that he looked. Not that Sirius minded. He was well aware that he was bloody gorgeous, thanks. He was also willing to be that the skirts he'd always worn when visiting Potter Mansion had a lot to do with that attraction. 

Winter Break came, and the only question was which days he'd visit, not _if_ he would visit. Regulus said that any time was good, and James had back him up with that offer. Sirius was absolutely busy on Yule, and the days before and after. They were busy days for the pureblood parties, and Sirius knew that he was locked in. A couple days before that was what he liked to call a mingling party, where all the parents got together to finalize their plans, and all the kids tried to see if they could sneak any Firewhiskey-- the answer was usually yes. The day before the ever-so-fun mingling party, he had a date with Isolt. Any time she invited him over while holding his hand, it meant that she wanted sex, so Sirius had to be prepared for that when it happened. He had another date set up with her for two days after Yule so they could thank each other for the presents and catch up on what had happened since the end of term, but then he'd be free until New Years. 

He couldn't risk sending a letter before Yule, so he'd said goodbye to Regulus before they left Hogwarts. He'd said goodbye to James too, but that was more of a you're-here-so-I-guess-I-should thing, and not any real intent on Sirius's part. He wasn't sure that James took it that way. James _was_ rather fit, and were Sirius not otherwise attached, he would try and pursue some sort of relationship. But he had plans in the works, and none of those plans included breaking up with Isolt so he could fool around with James. Pity. 

* * *

The Potter parents had clearly been told that Sirius was going to be dropping by. Additionally, either James or Regulus-- possibly both-- had told them that they liked Sirius now, because they were considerably more friendly than they'd been to him over summer hols. He talked to them for a little bit before they went off to confer with a few of their friends about upcoming plans, leaving the three of them alone to talk-- and play chess, Regulus versus James, which was just hilarious to watch since neither of them were any good. Eventually they tired of listening to Sirius laugh at them, and they trekked up to James's room for the rest of the night. 

Regulus was happier. It was hard to be mad at him for leaving and buggering up the point of Sirius doing the pureblood heir schtick. He was just so bloody happy here. He smiled easier. He was looser, less tense. Sirius hadn't realised the extent of how miserable it all made Regulus until he had time away from it. 

"I'm gonna go to bed," Regulus said around a yawn. It was hardly his first yawn of the night. "Sirius, are you staying the night or?" 

He shook his head. "I'll be leaving soon." He could get back late and not incur too many questions, but staying the night required an explanation. It's not that Orion and Walburga completely mistrusted him, but they didn't approve of him spending time cavorting-- that's the word they always used: cavorting-- with people lesser than him. 'Lesser than him' consisted of pretty much everyone since he was the child of their damn dreams and they didn't want for him to get too comfortable with people below his station. At least, that was half the reason. The other half was because they were convinced that him and Isolt weren't shagging over the breaks so long as he didn't stay at hers overnight. Considering that her parents were pretty much never around, it wasn't a hard thing for Sirius and Isolt to arrange. On a separate but related note, he'd gotten his parents' approval to propose to her; now he just had to think of a properly romantic gesture that she would appreciate, and he'd be one step closer to his long term goals. 

Sirius didn't really mean to stay up talking with James. He'd thought that they would trade a little banter and then Sirius would leave. James would smile and tell him that he was welcome back any time. Depending on how good his mood was, he might hug Sirius. It was a strange development in their relationship, but James was a tactile person; Sirius was convinced that James would do it even if he didn't fancy him. So they'd say goodbye, maybe throw a hug in there for good measure, and James would stare at his arse as he walked down the steps. 

That's not what happened. 

He didn't even walk out of James's room. James kissed him, and Sirius... didn't hate it. He liked it, actually. It wasn't a surprise, but there were things that Sirius didn't let himself think about. James Potter and everything to do with him in relation to Sirius was on the list of things he didn't think about. Even now, snogging on his bed, Sirius didn't think about it. 

When James first kissed him, Sirius reminded him, "I'm dating someone. Practically engaged." 

"I know," James murmured, and then he was kissing Sirius again, so he figured it was okay. Did he feel a little bad about cheating on Isolt? Honestly, yes. She liked Sirius a lot, and he wasn't fond of hurting people for no good reason. But he stayed and kept kissing James all the same. After his initial, soft rejection, he forgot all about her. All about his plans. The only thing he could think about was how James felt against him and how he wanted to keep feeling it. 

James moved to lay down, and Sirius followed him, throwing a leg over his hips and laying on top of him. James did not mind this in the slightest, and Sirius knew that for a fact because James's hands went to his arse and pulled him closer instead of pushing him away. A breathy moan came out of Sirius's mouth completely against his will, and James took it for the encouragement that it was, sliding his hands under Sirius's skirt so that the only barrier was the thin material of the pants he was wearing. Sirius had one hand over James's furiously beating heart, and the other fisted in his hair. James had tossed his glasses on the bedside table at some point because they kept poking Sirius in the face, and now their faces fit together better than before. 

There was no telling how long they would've stayed like that if the door hadn't peeked open. "James, honey? Are you still awa-" Mrs. Potter pulled up short, and they broke apart, but not nearly fast enough for her not to see what they'd been doing. All they'd done was stop kissing. Sirius was still laying on top of him. James still had his hands on Sirius's arse. She cleared her throat, averting her eyes but still staying in the doorway. 

It was a very awkward silence as Sirius climbed off of him and they both sat on the bed, trying to pretend like they weren't hard. Sirius was able to cross his legs and lay the skirt in such a way that it wasn't horribly obvious, and James took the easy route, covering his lap with a pillow. Sirius wiped surreptitiously at his mouth, though he was sure it was still plenty obvious that he'd been snogging someone. 

"Boys, while I would love to be the cool, understanding mother, I'm sure you can understand why we won't allow situations like this in the future? Door open when Sirius comes to visit from now on. That being said, it is rather late. Sirius, are you staying the night? I can make up one of the guest rooms for you." 

"Thanks, Mrs. Potter, but I should be getting home." He stood up and grabbed his bag, not glancing at James until he got to the doorway, giving him an awkward nod before leaving. Mrs. Potter accompanied him, and he got an absolutely horrifying run down on safe sex. Why she was giving him a talk about sex when she had already established that James and Sirius weren't allowed to have complete privacy while alone together in her home, he had no idea. None of this made any sense to him. Surely Mrs. Potter knew that it wasn't a relationship? Him and James weren't dating. They'd snogged for a bit, and that was it. 

* * *

A week later, Sirius asked Isolt to marry him. She said yes.


	2. The Final Stretch

Sirius was close. He was so close he could taste it. Isolt had to remind him almost weekly that he needed to keep his cool. It had been over ten years since it felt like everything fell apart when Regulus left, and things were very different from how he'd imagined they would be. The big thing-- his parents-- were the same, so it wasn't as if his world had been turned upside down. But there were some things that he hadn't been able to predict. What happened with Regulus. What happened between him and Isolt. 

He hadn't seen Regulus since the year that Regulus graduated Hogwarts. He'd tried to see him. He'd reached out and gotten no reply. Had been getting no replies for years now. Like the first letter he'd sent to Regulus after he left Grimmauld Place, he wondered if they were even being read. Probably not. If there was ever a time to get a reply, it would've been when Sirius told him that Isolt had had the baby-- he'd wanted for Regulus to meet his niece. Nieces, now. Lyra was seven, and Ara was five. Regulus hadn't met either of them despite Sirius's numerous invitations. He'd thought that him and Regulus would continue to talk through the years, but he'd just... dropped off. He was still around in the Wizarding World, but he ignored Sirius and he had no idea why. He didn't know what had changed. 

Isolt was a pleasant surprise. She'd been in love with Sirius, in the beginning. She'd changed a couple years ago, and now they were both bent and open to each other about it. Her political views had changed as well, so she knew about what Sirius had planned there-- no point in keeping her out of it when they were actually getting on. Isolt made a good partner. 

Lyra and Ara were a lot to deal with because that's just how kids were, but they managed it together. Rather, they _were_ managing. Sirius had no idea what they were going to do when they were both teenagers, because Sirius vividly remembered being a pain in the arse. Not to his parents, but he'd been afraid of them. His girls weren't afraid of him. He wasn't good at this whole parenting thing, but at least he had that. Walburga once said that he should be a more firm disciplinarian, and Sirius told her that if she raised her wand against his children, he would snap it. After that, she laid off. All in all, he thought they were waiting for him and Isolt to have a boy. Considering that Isolt was now not interested in having sex with him, they were all done with having more children. Not that he told anyone that. He gave a noncommittal 'We'll see," when people asked if they were planning on having more, and then the conversation was turned to business. That's how it always went. People asked about Lyra and Ara to be nice, then to see if Sirius was planning to have a son. None of them actually cared; it was small talk for them. 

Orion had asked if Sirius was ready to take over, and Sirius said yes. Absolutely. He had to try and find a good level of enthusiasm for that. Too eager might make Orion suspicious, but if he was too lackluster, then Orion might think he's not ready. Sirius was looking at an absolute maximum of waiting a month to be the Lord of the House of Black. More likely, it would be a week. Maybe two, if Orion had a list of things that he wanted to get done before turning it over to Sirius. He'd still have to wait a little bit before rolling out any of the big things, but he could make Regulus an official part of the family again, and no one would be able to dissuade him. 

"I don't see what your obsession is with your brother," Isolt said one night. 

Sirius snorted. "Don't you have a sister?" 

"Yes, and I hate her." 

"Yeah, but would you want for her to be kicked out of the family?" 

"I suppose not," Isolt said in that way that meant she definitely agreed with Sirius but didn't feel like she could admit it without being vulnerable. "Personally, I don't understand your sense of taste, but that's your decision." She was pretty cool, but she still didn't care for muggle clothes. She particularly despised his leather jacket. She now knew about his infatuation with one James Potter as well, and she didn't see the appeal there either. 

Sirius didn't understand _that_ in the slightest since James had only become more handsome as he got older, but Sirius was horribly aware of the fact that he didn't stand a chance. One night of snogging when they were teenagers had meant something to Sirius, but James wasn't sitting around pining after him. He didn't stalk James or anything, but there had been a wedding announcement in the Prophet between him and Lily Evans-- the Head Girl in their year, muggleborn, and another Gryffindor; she was everything that Sirius had expected for James's partner. He was pretty sure they had a kid together, but he felt that prying more would cross a line. "That's why you're in charge of buying clothes," was all Sirius said, accompanying it with a grin. 

* * *

Sirius was Head of the Family. It had happened. He'd almost expected to say that it felt underwhelming, but it didn't. It was a heady rush, knowing that he was _finally_ in the position that he'd worked so hard for. The first thing he did was fix the tapestry. He didn't add to it-- not knowing if Andromeda would want Nymphadora listed or not-- but he got rid of the burnt pieces of fabric. Regulus's name was once again right next to his, where it should've been allowed to stay. He didn't make an announcement of it, but he'd been leaning into the 'Family is everything' part of pureblood rhetoric, so it's not like anyone could claim to be surprised by it. He hadn't told Regulus about it yet. He wanted to give it some time so that maybe, when Sirius sent the letter, he'd actually read the letter this time. 

"Are we still on to go to Diagon today?" 

Isolt nodded. "The girls need new robes for the Summer Solstice." Having a party for Summer Solstice was their first big act as the new leaders of the family. They wanted to make a good impression. "Well, Lyra does. Ara's young enough that we can make a few alterations to her current ones and it'll be fine. I'd still like to get her new ones though," she added. The party was a show of status, even though they'd invited quite a few guests that wouldn't have made it on the list in Orion's time. Sort of a we-support-your-stances-and-are-powerful-to-get-them-through-even-if-they're-unpopular. He'd invited the Potter's. He didn't know whether or not they'd show, but the fact that they hadn't immediately sent a negative reply made him feel better. 

"Of course," Sirius said, fully expecting that they'd walk into the store and walk out with brand new robes for all of them; Isolt was rather nervous about her new role, and so far had taken to covering every possibility, no matter how unlikely it might seen. He hadn't been expecting for Ara to start throwing a fit about standing still for so long. They'd gotten her new measurements, confirmed that she hadn't changed much since last coming in, and then she'd started to whine as they tried to keep her up on the step. Sirius bit back a sigh and turned to Isolt. "How about I take Ara with me to pick up a few things, and you can stay here with Lyra." 

"Please," Isolt said. 

"C'mon sweetie, we're going to Flourish and Blotts," Sirius said. Ara petulantly closed her mouth and grabbed her father's hand, following him out of the store. She wasn't quite old enough to stop having tantrums, but she had gotten to the age where she was learning to bide her time. She couldn't stop the initial outburst, but she'd gotten better about pulling back. Quite impressive for a five year old, especially since Sirius hadn't managed to calm himself down all the way until he was twenty. He doubted it would take Ara that long. 

Ara was silent-- very much on purpose, because she was in this phase where she thought the silent treatment was a good, working method for dealing with everything-- up until Sirius said, books in hand, "We've got some time before we need to meet up with Mom and Lyra. Is there somewhere you'd like to visit?" 

She looked up at him, blinking her wide eyes hopefully. "Fortescue's?" 

Sirius was such a sucker for those eyes. And it didn't hurt that he was in the mood for a nice malt. "Sure." 

She beamed, and it lit up her whole face. Sirius felt himself melt a little-- and before he'd had kids? Not something he ever would've imagined happening to him; he wasn't the melting sort. Now that they'd agreed to get ice cream, Ara was dragging him along instead of morosely following where he led. She let go of his hand to pull the door open, then latched onto him again. He wasn't quite sure _when_ she'd decided that she couldn't possibly walk around Diagon without holding onto him, but he imagined that it wouldn't last for the rest of the year. She happily bounced over to the line, then looked up and frowned. She turned to him. "Dad, I can't see the menu." The only thing she could see from her current position was the man in front of her-- also with a kid that looked to be about her age, but the kid wasn't the one in her way. 

Sirius shook his head fondly, picking her up and settling her on his hip. "What're you thinking of getting?" 

"Sprinkles," she said decisively. 

"You can't get a bowl of just sprinkles, love." 

The man in front of them glanced back, then turned to face them. James. There was something uncomfortable about his expression, like he knew that a meeting between them was inevitable, but he was just as ill-prepared for it as Sirius was. It was too late for them to pretend that they hadn't seen each other. The eye contact had sort of ruined that possibility. "Hey Sirius. Fancy seeing you here," he said, then sort of winced at how lame that sounded. 

"Yeah. Just. Taking a break from robes shopping," Sirius said, just as awkwardly. 

Ara poked his shoulder. "Who is he?" 

"Oh," he said, having forgotten that an introduction should've been the first thing he did. "James, this is one of my daughters, Ara. Ara, this is James Potter." 

"The one that Uncle Regulus lives with?" she asked. 

"That's right." 

"Who's he, then?" Ara asked, nearly tipping out of his arms to look down at James's kid. 

"This is my son, Harry." 

Harry waved timidly. 

"He's about your age, I'd say." James glanced back towards the counter. "Did you- erm, want to sit with us? We could use the company." 

"Sure," Sirius said immediately. 

They made idle chit-chat-- mostly about the kids, because that was a safe topic-- until it was time to order, and true to her word, Ara got something with sprinkles. She wanted extra, but Sirius vetoed, knowing that she was going to get sick of them halfway through and ask for him to scrape the rest of them off for her. 

Sirius was a bit worried that things would be awkward when they sat down, but Ara primly informed Harry that he was holding his spoon the wrong way, and then they were off in their own little world. "So," Sirius said, stirring his malt with the straw, "how've you been? You married Evans, right? The Head Girl in our year?" 

"Yeah. Erm." James looked uncomfortable. Sirius had thought it was a fairly safe topic. He'd meant it as an opening to catch up on all the adult years that they'd missed for each other. Not that the short time they'd actually spent interacting were any sort of comparison. Maybe a year compared to the thirty they'd now lived? "We've separated." 

Oh. That explained it then. "Sorry, I didn't know." 

James shrugged. "It's alright. Sometimes things don't work out. But er, what about you and your wife? I saw in the Prophet that you're the Head of your family now." 

"Yes," Sirius said with a slight smile. He had the urge to tell James that they weren't really together just to see if he had a good reaction to it, but he held himself back. This was too public. "We're having a party on the solstice to sort of introduce it to the Wizarding World. I sent you an invitation," he couldn't help but point out. 

"Yeah, I saw. I figured you were inviting everyone, though." 

"You think I don't want you there?" Sirius asked, smile widening. 

"We didn't exactly leave on the best of terms, and with Regulus... I dunno. I thought it might be best if I didn't show." 

"Regulus was invited too," Sirius said, because it was important to him that James knew all the invitations had had an intention. "And why should it be a problem if you come? You _were_ invited. Besides, I'd like it if you did." 

James frowned, confused. "You would?" 

"Yes. I-" Sirius wanted to tell him the truth. That him and Isolt were no more together than James and Evans were. Explain what the plan had always been, what he hoped to accomplish now that he was finally in position. But this wasn't the place for it. Sirius glanced at Harry and Ara who were at that moment, sampling each other's ice cream and saying why they thought their own was better. "Even if you don't want to come, we should get tea some day soon. Catch up." 

"Is that not what we're doing now?" James said, but he glanced at the kids too. 

Sirius shrugged and took a sip from his malt. He looked at the contents of his glass for a moment to avoid looking at James. "If nothing else, you should tell Regulus that he's been reinstated in the family. I didn't think he'd answer an owl of mine." 

"He has been?" 

"Yes." 

James was staring at him, eyes wide. "I- why'd you do that?" 

"Because he's my brother?" Sirius ventured. "Between you and Isolt, I'm about to feel like I'm going mad. Maybe I never had a brother at all." 

"Your parents approved that?" 

"I'm the Head of the family," Sirius said with a smirk. "They don't get to 'approve' anything." 

James blinked, then blinked again. "Right. I guess that was all part of the plan?" 

Sirius nodded and took another drink. "I don't expect for him to suddenly start showing up to family gatherings, but he could if he wanted to." He didn't say anything for a moment, then added, "Your whole group is welcome to come." He should've kept his mouth shut. They'd already talked about the Solstice party, and Sirius had made it clear that the invitation was genuine. Now though, he felt a compelling need to reiterate that it wasn't just the letter of the invitation; it was the spirit of it. "You, Evans, Lupin, even Harry if you want. There will be other kids there, not just my own." Some of them were teenagers, but a lot of the people that had RSVP'd had been in the same graduating year as Sirius, and therefore had children ranging from infant to preteen. That being said, Sirius doubted very much that James would accept, but he had to try his absolute best to convince him. James hadn't agreed to dinner, and Sirius didn't want this to be the last time they spoke for another eight years.

"I'll tell them," James said noncommittally. 

Sirius nodded and knew that he shouldn't get his hopes up. It was a polite response, not a promising one. 

It was therefore very surprising when the night of the solstice party came, and James was there. Evans and Harry were too. Lupin wasn't, but that was probably a good idea. Regulus wasn't either, but that had been thoroughly expected. If Sirius were him, he wouldn't have come to this party either. 

As the hosts, Sirius and Isolt had to go welcome them, but Sirius would've insisted that they do it even if decorum didn't demand it. 

* * *

As with the last time that they kissed, Sirius didn't really think about it. He thought about it more than last time because he wasn't in the same position, but he didn't let himself worry about all the ways that this would go wrong. They were in a room with a locked door, so what had ended it last time wasn't going to be repeated. He'd already had a chance to tell James that him and Isolt were separated, so they didn't have to worry about that, either. 

They were kissing, Sirius's arms around his neck, and James's hands on his arse. Over a decade between the two, but he could still remember that this was pretty much how it had gone last time. "I'm beginning to think you're obsessed with my arse," Sirius muttered. 

"It's a nice one, is all," James said, giving it a squeeze. 

"You ever shagged a bloke before?" 

"No. Have you?" 

"No." He'd only kissed two people in his life. One was Isolt, and the other was James. He'd be pretty happy to keep his list at two instead of expanding it. "I just meant that maybe that's why you're so bloody obsessed." 

"Possible," James agreed easily, then took to mouthing at Sirius's neck, and Sirius lost his grasp on the English language-- he was pretty sure he could still say something in French if he really needed to. 

* * *

James opened the door and grinned. "You're wearing a skirt." 

"My favourite muggle attire," Sirius said. "I'm beginning to think you like my arse more than me." 

"I admit that it holds a special place in my heart and skirts draw even more attention to it, but I'm rather more in love with you." 

"Pulling out the 'L' word so early?" Sirius asked, but it didn't scare him. 

"I should think it's obvious how I feel, but I do, in case the last decade of pining hadn't clued you in." 

"Well how was I supposed to know about that? I wasn't living in your head," Sirius said, but James didn't look like he was paying attention anymore. "Really? Checking me out? Aren't we a bit old for that?" 

"I'm never too old to admire beauty when I see it." 

Unbearably charmed, Sirius smiled. "Flatterer. Ready for lunch?" 

James nodded and grabbed his coat. "You sure you don't want to come in for a cuppa first?" 

"Pretty sure if we do that, we'll never make it to lunch." 

"True," James said with a laugh. 


End file.
